Dandelion Recipes

Every part of the dandelion is edible! Around right now is a good time to harvest dandelions (I live in the midwestern USA) so here's some easy things to do with them:

For maximum enjoyment, try to get the whole root out of the ground when you pick your dandelions. You can use the stem, leaves, flower, and root for many different things. You might need a shovel, but sometimes you can do it by hand if it rained.

Dandelion Tea: Set the oven to 200 degrees F, and wash and dry some plants to roast. Just put them on a cookie sheet for 2 hours. Turn them every now and then so they don't get burned to your pan. When they're done, let them cool and then crunch them in a bag. They say store it in a jar, but I just am using the bag.

 Use 1 teaspoon of roasted dandelion for every cup of boiling water. I also added some ground cinnamon and lemon juice to mine. I'm a huge tea fan so I loved it. Also, turns out it is great for your liver and kidneys. I drank mine right before my sister's birthday party, and it made it so easy to drink! Could just be coincidence though . It also doesn't strip your kidneys of potassium. 

Dandelion stir-fry: For this I used only the leaves of the plant, not the roots or flower. I found some wild garlic in my yard and sauteed that in olive oil for a while, then added my washed leaves. I stirred it every now and then, sometimes had a lid on it and sometimes not. In the end I added some pepper and it tasted just like spinach. It was DELICIOUS. 

Boiled dandelion greens and roots: I separated the roots from the bottom of the greens when I did this. They also say peel the roots, but mine were really tiny. Turns out they peel really easily after being boiled, so I was in luck. Anyway, just boil everything for a few minutes, then change the water. I changed the water 3 times when I was cooking. You do this because dandelions are pretty bitter. You'd know if you just ate a whole dandelion off the ground. Nothing wrong with it, just bitter. Anyway, after it is done boiling however many times to your liking, just strain out the water and let it cool. I thought the roots tasted a lot like broccoli stems. I didn't like the leaves much, but I've read that butter makes it a lot better.

Dandelion Fritters: Okay, I'll admit I cheated and used pancake mix for this recipe. 

I couldn't help it. It was just so damn easy. 

Just dip =]

I used olive oil in my pan. Turned out good to me.

I can't really tell you when I flipped them. I am really anal when I cook something for the first time, and I won't leave it be. 

It's fun to hang them by the stem and drop them into your mouth and bite their heads off.

I thought they tasted like fried okra, kind of. The darling fiance says they tasted good, just plain. Next time maybe I'll flavor the batter. And most the recipe's I've read online used cornmeal, too, which I imagine would have made it more like a hot dog. 

I can't wait to get out tomorrow and eat some more free food!